Seasons of Love
by MikoMimi
Summary: Holly is breaking into the world of farming, but it's not all radishes and tomatoes. She's about to find out that growing relationships takes a little more hard work, and it's not as straightforward as crops.
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1: Recollections

Holly sat at her desk and stared intently at the papers spread in front of her. Numbers and other symbols that did not make sense stared back at her, mocking her lack of understanding. A light breeze tickled her neck, and she leaned back in her chair to get a better look outside.

The window in her little room looked out over a small park. The ground was packed dirt and the play equipment consisted only of a slide and a little jungle gym, but that did not deter the pack of neighborhood boys from bringing a ball and throwing it at each other as they attempted to make their way up the slide the wrong way.

"_Kids…_" Holly mused to herself, scooting back up to the desk. She shook her head, wondering how the boys could stand being outside. It was early March and the world was slowly coming out of its winter sleep, but it still wasn't quite warm enough to be outside for extended periods of time without a jacket.

Holly forced herself to look at her math textbook again. Final exams were in a week, and graduation was only a short time after. She had to study, but it was making her so… sleepy…

"_Holly dear, come here. Come to where Mommy is."_

_Holly could hear her mother's voice, coaxing her from where their car was parked at the entrance of her uncle's farm._

"_See? Here we are: Your Uncle Frank's farm."_

_Holly saw herself, as a young girl, looking around the farm run by a young(er), fit(er) Frank. Frank waved at her but was at present engaged in conversation with her father, Daryl. _

"_Let's go see all the animals, shall we?"_

_Holly nodded, happy but hesitant. She had never been on a farm before, having grown up in a large city far from here. Little Holly wasn't sure where she was or how long it took to get there, but she had been in the car for what seemed like hours._

_She followed her mother along the outskirts of the field, being careful not to step on any growing crops. The pair came to a stop in front of a large red barn and an enclosed field where a cow was grazing._

"_Go on, Holly. Pet the nice cow," Mother encouraged._

"_I don't wanna…" Holly took a step back, not comfortable with the animals from her books suddenly being real and bigger than her._

"_You don't have to be scared," Mother said with a chuckle. "I'm sure it will be very happy if you give it a pat."_

_Holly tried to resist, but between the shyness and curiosity, curiosity was winning. She took a few steps forward and brushed her fingers against the cow's forehead and nose. Immediately, it nuzzled back and gave a happy moo._

"_There you are, see? It's saying 'thank you.' Isn't that wonderful?_

_Holly smiled and pet the nice cow again. This day was getting better! The cow mooed again, and Holly ran back to her mother's side, pleased she was able to make a new friend._

"_Are you hungry, sweetie? Let's head back to the house and see about a snack."_

_The pair walked through the fields this time, taking note of the different varieties of crops being grown. Holly's mother pointed out some ripe radishes and a few heads of cabbage waiting to be picked._

"_Oh, look," Mother said, pointing to the ground on their left. "We can pick some strawberries to eat. Don't they look delicious?"_

_Holly grinned and knelt next to her mother, looking for the bright red berries she enjoyed so much at home. It took some time to find and gather the reddest, ripest ones, but soon both girls had a handful each. They carried their treasure back to Frank's house to wash and eat._

"_Oh, I see you found something good to eat," joked Frank when he saw them come in._

_The girls smiled and headed for the kitchen, the younger one unaware of the serious discussion taking place in the living room. By the time they finished eating, Daryl and Frank were done as well, and the farmer escorted the family back to the entrance of the property._

"_Ya'll come back now, ya hear?" he said, with a good-natured albeit strained smile._

_Holly's mother bent down to her level and smoothed the hair away from her child's red, strawberry-stained face._

"_Well, Holly? Did you have fun on your uncle's farm today?" her father asked._

"_Yes! I wanna stay here forever!" Holly bounced around, too excited to stand still._

"_Oh? You want to live here now, do you?" Frank said with a mysterious twinkle in his eye._

_The adults chuckled amongst themselves for a moment, but Holly wasn't paying attention anymore. Instead she was distracted by a ladybug that was crawling on the leaf of a nearby flower._

_Frank looked at his niece with eyes that betrayed a hint of his sadness, the smile slowly fading from his face. He looked seriously at his brother._

"_Take care of it, will you?"_

"_I've got my own business to attend to, but I'll do what I can."_

"_And when the time comes?"_

"_I'll be in town."_

_The brothers nodded at each other solemnly. Goodbyes were exchanged, and the little family made their way back to the car, much to Holly's dismay._

"_But the cow? And the strawberries?" Holly whined, trying to pull away from her father's grip on her hand._

"_Sorry, honey. But we have to go home now."_

_Holly was gently picked up by her mother and placed into the car seat. She watched her mother click the seatbelt in place and tighten the straps. Then she shut the door with a-_

_SLAM!_

Holly bolted upright from where she had slumped over her desk. A bit of drool decorated what should have been an equation. She rubbed her eyes and looked around for the source of the loud sound. Nothing seemed out of place, however, and her eyes eventually found her way back to the problems in front of her.

"Ugh… This is getting me nowhere."

She slammed the book shut, shoved her chair away from the desk, and stood up, enjoying the pops and cracks her sleepy joints made. Not quite willing to give up the daydream, however, she flung herself on her partially made bed and conjured up those images from her childhood again.

"_Wouldn't it be nice to live and work on a farm? No homework… No busy, noisy, narrow streets…_"

She was just about to doze off again when a sound from far away caught her ears.

"…ister…!"

"_Wha…?_"

"Big Sister!"

Holly awoke with a start to see her little sister Lynn standing over her. She sat up, a little disoriented.

"I couldn't have been asleep more than five minutes…" she mumbled mostly to herself. But even as she spoke the view outside her window told her she was wrong; it was already dark outside.

"What are you doing sleeping in the middle of the day, lazy bones? And what were you dreaming about anyway? You had a big, silly grin on your face."

Suddenly wide awake and embarrassed, Holly got out of bed and tried to push Lynn out of the room.

"I wasn't dreaming about anything. Don't worry about it. Just go play with your toys or something."

"Jeez… Defensive, much? Whatever. I was just coming in to let you know that Mom wants you to come help get ready for dinner. See you in the kitchen!"

Lynn skipped out of the room, leaving a confused Holly in her wake.

"To the kitchen then…" Holly said, quickly making herself presentable for dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2: A Time for Change

The atmosphere was tense around the dinner table that evening. Mother, bless her heart, had been trying to keep the conversation going smoothly, and Lynn, either purposely or unknowingly, had been helping. However, Holly's father remained stubbornly silent, carefully eating his food in calm, measured bites.

Holly felt apprehensive. She had felt this pressure building up through offhand comments and college application letters left not so subtly on her desk. Most of these had ended up as bookmarks for novels about grand houses on the open plains or simply in the trash can. Holly felt no desire to sit behind a desk with her nose in a book for the next four years.

Once her father's plate was clear, he put both his hands down on the table, commanding the attention of everyone and silencing her mother's attempts to prolong the inevitable through light conversation.

"Family meeting in the living room. Now," Holly's father said in a tone that invited no argument. There was a collective sigh among the other family members as dishes were deposited in the kitchen sink and everyone made their way to the living room.

At first, no one spoke. Holly's eyes were glued firmly to the table. She could feel her father's eyes boring into the top of her head. Holly's mother and sister looked uncomfortably between the two, but it was ultimately her little sister who broke the deafening silence.

"What's going on, Dad? You've barely been home an hour and you're already calling a family meeting?"

With her father's eyes finally off her, Holly was able to look up.

"Yes, about that… I know it's sudden, but we will be moving at the end of the month."

Holly could feel the sudden stiffening of her sister beside her and felt a little bad. They had moved so many times due to their father's job. But at least Holly had been able to stay at the same high school for the last three years, even though it was almost an hour commute on the train each way. Her sister, still being in elementary school, would be forced to change schools yet again.

"What? Again? Awww… I really liked this town too. I have a lot of friends at school, and there is a park next door, an-"

Holly's mother tried her best to placate her younger child. "I know, Lynn. But your father's job is in foreign trade and moving is a part of that. Try not to be so harsh on him…"

While Holly could see that her mother was trying to put on a brave face, she could already see the mental packing checklist writing itself behind her mother's eyes. It was stressful and tiring to move, but her mother would never complain about it to her father. She loved him too much, and she knew how important his job was to him.

"It is far away," her father continued. "Across the ocean, in fact. The company has already booked our passage on a boat that leaves at the end of next week. It seems like a very nice and interesting place though. I'm sure it will be a good experience for us."

Holly's sister, now more curious than upset, seemed to relax. "That sounds nice."

"Holly, dear, you've been unusually quiet. Is something on your mind?" her mother asked gently.

It was her father who answered for her, however.

"Of course, she has things on her mind. She has been reviewing college applications for the last few months. Instead of going with us, I'm sure Holly is just using this as an opportunity to tell us where she plans to go to school."

There was a hint of a challenge in her father's voice, as though he was daring her to disagree with him.

"Actually, I am thinking of moving out on my own. But not to go to school," Holly replied as calmly as she could muster.

"Not to go to school?" her mother questioned. Her father's glare was the only response she received.

Holly took a deep breath to steady herself and gather her courage. This would potentially not end well.

"I want to work as a farmer."

"You want to become a what!?" her father bellowed, all but jumping out of the couch in anger and surprise. Only her mother's hand on his arm reigned him in, although just barely.

"A farmer," Holly repeated, though she felt herself shaking a little. She had expected some opposition. After all the application forms left on her desk, choosing such an obviously different path was sure to surprise her parents. But she hadn't expected such a violent reaction.

She saw her mother whisper something to her father. She couldn't catch the words, but she did hear her sister mumble something that sounded suspiciously like "_I always knew you had weird tastes._"

"No," her father declared, pushing her mother's hand from his arm. He stood up and looked down at his oldest daughter. "This is out of the question. You will either go to school or you will come with us to our new home."

"But-"

"Don't misunderstand me," her father continued. "I have great respect for farmers. It is a noble profession. But it is back-breaking work. It's not an easy job that you can just decide to do on a whim and expect to be successful. What do you know about raising crops? About taking care of animals? Nothing! You have no idea how to manage a business on your own, let alone how to run a farm. You are being naïve!"

"I've been reading a bit," Holly challenged, rising to meet her father's gaze though she was still more than a full head shorter than him. "And this is what I want to do!"

"She has always had an affinity for taking care of animals and plants…" her mother mentioned softly. Her words, however, were ignored.

"No! You are not prepared for or capable of being a farmer. I will NOT allow it."

"It's not your choice! I'm almost 18, and I can make my own decisions! I will not go with you, and I will not be going to school!"

The shouting continued back and forth for what seemed like hours until a neighbor came over and politely asked them to keep it down. Holly stormed off to her room and immediately wrote a letter to her Uncle Frank. Her dream to be in nature, to work on a farm… it wasn't just a whim. And she was going to prove it.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3: Firsts

Ludus looked up from his work to see Frank from Westown and a young, blonde girl walking towards the abandoned farm south of the villages. Frank had been to see him a couple weeks before, asking if he had time to fix up the cabin the previous farmer had used. Frank had paid him, of course, but there wasn't much money around right now, Ludus understood. Things were tight for all the villages these days. With the money he had been given, however, he had been able to fix up the roof and replace the rotting bits in the walls. A new lock was installed in the door as well. It wasn't much, but it would suffice.

Ludus mused to himself about the new owner of the farm and this female visitor.

_Is this the new owner's little sister? Is she helping him settle in? I haven't seen the new guy myself yet._

Ludus had been excited about the prospect of another guy being around. He hoped the new farmer was a similar age. Zahau and Haulani were clearly adults, but Shalk and Tigre were still kids, leaving the young adult Ludus in a bit of a weird position. He was too old to play all day, but he was a little too young to settle down (much to his grandmother's dismay).

Even from his position – knee deep in rubble and broken beams – he could see that the girl was young. And cute. Her long hair was neatly braided into pig tails, and she wore a wide-brimmed hat with a blue ribbon. It was clearly new as was her dress, meaning she probably didn't spend much time outdoors. A city girl then. He watched as Frank led her towards the farm and out of sight.

Ludus didn't have a distraction anymore, so he decided to get back to work. Or at least he tried. Something about the strange girl tugged at his mind. So distracted was he that he failed to notice his thumb was in the path of the hammer he was swinging.

"Ouch!"

Ludus stuck the smarting digit into his mouth and cursed his lack of concentration. He wanted to blame the girl, but it clearly wasn't her fault.

_Too bad she's not from around here. I kinda wish I could see her again._

-.-.-.-

Holly's first impression of the farm was that it was big. Really big. There were a few patches of dirt that seemed ready for planting, but other than that it was wide and green with a spattering of trees here and there.

She smiled to herself, thinking about how this beautiful land was now her home. Home. Speaking of home, where was she going to be sleeping?

Holly didn't see anything but continued to step into this new world. Coming around the corner, she saw a bin, a trough, and a… shack?

Holly stepped up the ancient, dilapidated structure. It seemed to be leaning slightly, and the two steps leading up to the porch did not look safe at all.

_Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore…_

Hearing her uncle walking up behind her, Holly put on a brave face and turned to him.

"Well, here we are. This is your farm. Nice and big, ain't it? This place has always been a farm, but there wasn't anybody around to take care of it from the last couple of decades or so. I had it fixed up enough to make it livable, but that's about it," Frank said, a bit apologetically.

Holly bowed and smiled genuinely this time.

"No, no. Thank you. Really, you didn't have to do that."

"Ah, well, I suppose not. But you are my niece, after all. I couldn't leave you with nothing. Say, I know. Since this place is all yours now, how 'bout you give it a name?"

"A name…? I hadn't thought about it… How about Nampara?"

"Nampara Farm, eh? That's a mighty fine name! Now that you've given the place a name, let's go take a look at the house, shall we?"

"Sure!"

Holly followed her uncle, albeit a bit hesitantly, into the poorly lit single room that made up her new home. Even in broad daylight she could barely see all the way to the back of the room. Frank reached around her and lit the old oil lamp. This shed some light on the situation.

"Sorry I couldn't put together a nicer house for you than this," Frank said, apologizing again. "Farms ain't exactly cheap to clean up, though, y'know? Didn't have that much left to spend on the house itself. But, hey, if ya work hard and save up a little money, you'll be able to renovate it to your heart's content."

Holly nodded and grinned. Even though it looked rough now, Uncle Frank sounded optimistic. Maybe she really could do this!

"Anyway," Frank continued, "as of today, this is your new home. I made sure it had all the basics too. You've got a bed, a bookshelf – I've taken the liberty of donating some old books you might find useful – a calendar, a storage box, and a toolbox. There is also a little basin in the corner for washing up, but there isn't a toilet."

"No toilet!?"

"Nope, you'll have to use the old outhouse around back," Frank replied, laughing at Holly's shocked expression. "You'll be fine. I already checked for snakes," he joked.

"Right…" Holly said, nervously.

"Welp, that about sums everything up. You can try everything else out for yourself later. For now, how about we go into town and meet your new neighbors?"

-.-.-

Frank led Holly past the crossroads and back on the path towards his house. On the right side of the road was a beautiful and quaint two-story home.

"That is Megan's place," he said, motioning toward the house and the barn on the property. "She keeps some sheep and cows, but she doesn't farm much except for her vegetable garden. She's in charge around here, so we should visit her first."

As they walked up to the house, an elderly but clearly energetic woman exited the building.

"A good mornin' to you, Megan," greeted Frank in his deep tenor.

"Hello, Frank," the old woman said kindly, fixing the orange kerchief around her head as she spoke. "Is this the relative you were telling me about?"

"Yes, ma'am. This here is my niece, Holly."

"It's very nice to meet you, ma'am," said Holly formally, bowing her head low.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said the older woman warmly, clearly impressed with the newcomer's manners. "My name is Megan, and I am the town elder here in Westown. I think I can speak for the whole town when I say we're very happy to have you here."

Holly nodded and smiled, pleased that she seemed to be making a good impression. Her sideways glances at her uncle confirmed her suspicions and helped her relax.

"As you can see," continued the town elder, "the whole town is situation on a mountainside. It's always been a very good place for raising livestock. The red soil, hills, and tall cliffs are some of the unique characteristics of the area."

Holly nodded her head, trying to take in all this information.

"The land here is perfect for farms that use a lot of water to grow green veggies. You can harvest a lot of fodder to feed your animals, too," she explained. "The road beyond the bridge leads into town itself. Shall we take her on the grand tour, Frank?" Megan questioned with a sparkle in her eye.

"Exactly what I was thinking," replied Frank with a wide grin. He clapped Holly on the back and the trio made their way over the bridge and into the heart of Westown.

Holly was initially surprised at the size of the town. There were many shops and quite a few people walking about. Frank seemed to understand her confusion and directed her attention to some paths off to the left of the town.

"Those roads lead down to other farms and smaller villages. Westown is the central hub of this area, if you can imagine it. There are two roads down to the left that lead into a valley, and another up by the restaurant that leads into the mountains. There are a few people who live in town, and you should get to know them, but the rest only come in occasionally to stock up on supplies and sell their goods. And, of course, to catch the carriage to other cities if they need to travel."

"Unfortunately," interjected Megan, "the carriage system is not operating at the moment. There was an earthquake a few weeks ago that caused some damage to the main roads between the villages and the outside world. It will take the handyman some time to clean up all the debris and make it safe again."

"Villages?" Holly asked.

"There are two other villages to the east of here. They are our main trading partners and friends. Most people who travel would be going to one of those villages for their products or services. But, of course, getting to this area in general is also quite difficult from outside as I'm sure you remember," Frank said solemnly.

Holly nodded, remembering the bumpy and precarious path the carriage driver had taken through the mountains to get to Westown. She remembered the driver had mentioned other, safer paths, but had dozed off partway through his explanation, tired and emotional as she was from her sudden departure from her home. She tried to shake off those negative feelings, however, and paid close attention to her uncle and the village elder.

"Long, long ago," Megan continued, "Westown was famous for mining. It made the town very prosperous, hence why many people moved in around it. Ahead of us you can see the main shops where you can buy some food, materials, and animals. Up on the left is our post office. If you need to send a letter to your family, that's the place to do it."

Holly nodded with a kind smile on her face, but Frank did not miss the shadow that crossed over her features for that brief moment at the mention of "family."

"And speak of the devil!" exclaimed Megan, knocking both Frank and Holly out of their individual reveries. "Here comes our very own postmaster!"

At the loud exclamation, a young man with tousled golden hair, a cowboy hat, and an easy smile turned to face them. He waved, jogged down to the part and, with a tip of his hat greeted his fellow townsfolk.

"Good mornin' Megan. Frank," he said, with a kind smile. "What a surprise to see the both of you here at this hour. What's the occasion?"

Holly was immediately impressed by his easygoing demeanor and good looks. The postman was tall and slender, and if his greeting was anything to judge by, he was a charmer as well.

Just as this thought passed through her mind, the stranger turned to face her with a dazzling smile.

"No, wait. Lemme guess. You're givin' the grand tour to our new neighbor here, right?"

Holly blushed prettily and bowed.

"Ha ha ha! Spot on, as always. This is my niece, Holly."

"Holly," the postman said, letting the name roll off his tongue. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Wayne, the town postman. When Frank said he had a relative coming, I never expected someone so pretty to show up!"

"What's that supposed to mean!?" replied Frank with a good-natured smile.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Holly replied, bowing again. His blatant flattery only made her blush harder, so she tried to ignore it the best she could.

"We're always happy for any new residents 'round these parts, but someone as cute as you as especially welcome," continued Wayne with a wink and another dip of his hat.

Holly didn't know how to reply at this point, and she prayed Frank would save her from having to do so.

Frank, answering her unsaid prayer, put his hand on her shoulder and pointed out the other buildings built almost into the side of the mountain. "Those are the restaurant, the flower shop, and the general store; they are the most popular stores in town, so you had better go introduce yourself to the owners."

Holly nodded but wasn't sure if she could take her leave yet. Thankfully, the postman gave her a clear out.

"Anyways, I have some deliveries to make," said Wayne with a playful glint in his bright blue eyes, "but I'll catch you 'round later, Holly. Frank, Megan, a pleasure as always."

And with that, the postman was on his way down the road.

"Cheeky young thing, he is," admonished Megan, although it was clear she meant this with no malice. The huge smile on her face was evidence enough of that.

"Well, why don't you go look around and introduce yourself to some folks? Building good relationships with people will be the foundation of your life here, so don't neglect it. You can give people gifts and helps them with chores as well to get them to trust you."

Holly nodded again. "Thank you, I will keep that in mind."

Frank nodded as well, satisfied with his teaching. "Well, I've got some things to take care of on the farm, and I'm sure Megan is busy too. Perhaps we should call it here for a day. But, why don't you stop by my place on the way home for some dinner? I'll make pizza!"

"Sounds great!" exclaimed Holly with a genuine smile. "Thank you… both of you… for all your help today."

"It was no trouble at all. Enjoy your look around! And I hope you enjoy your life here!" replied Megan, waving at the two farmers before returning down the path to her home.

"I'll see you tonight then," confirmed Frank, tipping his straw hat and following Megan down the same path.

_Well, here we go! Let's see what Westown has to offer!_


	4. Chapter 4

Ch.4 A Single Step

Holly rose bright and early the following morning with a smile on her face. Here she was in her own house on her own farm. It was a building that had seen better days… and a field that would take a lot of work to get under control… but it was hers, and that was enough.

She stretched her arms above her head and pulled off the old quilted blanket that had been only source of heat last night. A less optimistic person may have looked at her circumstances as dire, but Holly was nothing if not an optimist. Frank had generously given her some basic tools and seeds yesterday, and she did not intend for his generosity to go to waste.

Holly grabbed a piece of potato bread from the table and a cup of water from the pitcher. It was a meager breakfast, but it would have to do for now until she could afford a stove – and better ingredients. Inhaling the food in record time, the new farmer rushed to change her clothes and get started on the first day of the rest of her life. Once dressed, she took a deep breath and exited her home.

Looking out on her field, the first thing Holly decided to do was to close her eyes and visualize how she wanted the farm to look in the future. She saw a bright red barn and a little white chicken coop to the right of her home, housing a menagerie of cows, sheep, and chickens. Spread out before her was a large field filled with sprouting crops and blooming flowers. She saw few bee boxes off to the side of the property near the flowers, and little dog chasing butterflies around the property.

Holly smiled to herself and opened her eyes. The reality was that there were a few dirt plots and a couple of rickety old buildings that _might_ be hospitable enough for animals with a bit of cleaning up. It was going to take a lot of hard work to make her dreams a reality, but Holly was determined.

She picked up her hoe and walked to the edge of the dirt patch before her. She'd read about farming and watched some videos before she left home but feeling the weight of the tool in her hand was a totally different experience. It gave her goosebumps. This was really the beginning.

"_The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step_," she thought to herself. With that, she lifted the hoe up and sank it into the soft earth.

-.-.-

A couple of hours and a bucket of sweat later, half of the dirt was tilled, and she had used up all the seeds given to her. Holly had seriously overestimated how much space each seed needed, but that was fine. She had some money, so she would simply go into town and buy more. Besides, she was supposed to be getting to know everyone; this was part of the process.

She left her tools next to the porch and went inside to freshen up. She washed the dirt from her hands and face before re-braiding her hair neatly. Then she did her best to shake the dirt off her dress before heading out. First stop: the general store.

"Hiya, Holly," greeted Miranda cheerfully from behind the counter. She was with another customer, but that gave Holly some time to peruse her seed options. It looked like Miranda didn't have much at the moment; only radish and potato seeds were available, although a few bags of grass starter were on the shelf below that. Holly figured she would need a little of that if she was going to get a cow. Nodding to herself, Holly grabbed four bags of potato seeds, one more bag of radish seeds, and a couple of the grass starters.

"That's quite a lot you got there, Miss Holly," Miranda said with an appraising look.

Holly wasn't sure what the look meant, but she decided to ignore the weird feeling it gave her.

"Yup, I have a lot of work to do, and I don't want to waste any time," she replied with a smile.

Miranda seemed satisfied with that answer and totaled up her goods. She gave them over to Holly and with a sincere smile wished her luck. Holly beamed back with a word of thanks and made her way next door to the flower shop.

"Holly? What a surprise!" exclaimed Lisette when she saw who had rung the bell coming into the shop.

"Good morning, Lisette," replied Holly with a kind smile. Holly had introduced herself to Lisette yesterday and immediately took a liking to her. Lisette was only a year or so older than Holly, but she was already running her own shop. When Holly had praised her yesterday, Lisette only smiled shyly and said:

"_I just took over what was already here. It's not like I did it myself. I really admire you Holly, taking over that old farm and trying to turn it into your own business."_

Holly got a warm feeling just thinking about it.

"What can I do for you today? Or were you just dropping by?" Lisette questioned.

"Oh! I came to get some flower seeds. Can you recommend some easy ones though?" Holly replied, shifting her bag on her back. It was getting heavy now.

"Hm…" considered the fellow blonde, smoothly walking over to the seeds and looking at the selection. There were not many varieties here either, Holly noticed. Frank had said business had been on the down since a lot of young people were moving to the city for opportunities. Some farms, like the one she had taken over, simply had no one to care for them now. This meant the other businesses, like the general store, flower shop, and restaurant had to import ingredients and supplies from elsewhere, which was expensive.

"These would be good," said Lisette suddenly, interrupting Holly's train of thought. "Marguerites are easy to take care of, and they bloom pretty quickly."

"That sounds great! I'll take two bags, please."

Lisette nodded, completed the transaction, and gave Holly the seeds.

"You're really jumping in with both feet, aren't ya?" Lisette said with a mixture of admiration and concern. Holly got the feeling that, like Miranda, they were simply worried about her but didn't want to come across as overbearing. Holly appreciated this consideration for her pride and feelings, but she was also sure she could handle this.

"You bet," she replied with a bright smile. "If you come visit me in a few weeks, I'd be happy to give you the grand tour. By that time things should be sprouting and ready for visitors."

"Really? I'd love to! To be honest, I used to play in that field with Wayne, Carrie and Brad when we were kids. There were so many rocks and trees… it was the perfect place to play hide and seek."

"I'm sure it was. Still might be for a while yet," Holly said, briefly calculating how many overgrown trees and boulders were scattered around the property, "but I hope it will look like a proper farm by the time you come to see it."

"I look forward to it then," said Lisette with a kind smile.

Holly departed with a wave and took her new seeds back to the farm with all due haste. She wanted to get everything into the ground before the sun set.

-.-.-

Exhausted but thoroughly pleased, Holly threw herself into bed that night without even changing her clothes. Everything ached, but she could not have asked for a better day. She had only cleared enough space to plant and water the few seeds she had now, but that was fine. She could use the time until they started producing to clean up the farm a bit and maybe prepare the old buildings for animals.

That night, sore and dirty as she was, she fell asleep with a big smile and a full heart.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch.5: The Doctor Is In

For the rest of the week, Holly worked diligently cleaning up her farm. She had found some half-buried and completely rusted old farm tools that she had to dispose of before removing some smaller rocks and weeds from the rest of the property. She didn't think she would be able to expand her farming this spring – she was already exhausted at the end of every day with her current workload – but she did want to prepare the land for a possible increase in farmable land in the summer.

Smiling to herself as she put her tools away Saturday afternoon, Holly wondered what to do about dinner. She had to live frugally until her first crop of radishes came in, but she hadn't had a warm meal since dinner at Frank's on Monday. Her stomach grumbled, an uncomfortable reminder that she had not been feeding herself well.

Holly washed her hands and face before redonning her wide-brimmed hat. She shook off her skirt and pulled a couple pieces of grass out of her hair. She didn't look terrible, but it was clear she had been working all day. Holly carefully appraised herself in the small, dirty mirror above her basin. The dirt scrubbed from her cheeks left them with a rosy glow and her eyes were bright and blue in contrast. Satisfied with her appearance, she skipped out of the house and headed to the restaurant for dinner.

-.-.-

"Hiya, Holly!" greeted a friendly voice when she made it into the town proper. Wayne was making his way from the left of town. Holly could see the road was partially blocked with large boulders and broken fence posts.

"Hey, Wayne," Holly returned, looking down the path he came from.

Wayne, seeing the curiosity in her eyes, quickly explained. "You heard about the earthquake we heard a few months back, right? Well, the roads between the towns were all damaged. The mail still needs to be delivered, however, so once a week I make my way carefully through the rubble to deliver letters and packages."

"Wow," exclaimed Holly with no small amount of admiration. "That sounds very dangerous. You must really be dedicated to your work!"

"This job suits me," admitted the mailman with a charming smile. "I enjoy traveling between the towns, even if it is tougher than usual."

"But surely something could be done about it. Even the paths by the crossroads are completely destroyed and impassable…"

"Oh, someone is," said Wayne with a reassuring grin. He patted Holly on the shoulder before pointing his thumb behind him. "The local handyman has been working on clearing the paths since the earth stopped a'rummblin'. It's just a lot of work for one guy."

Holly nodded her head in understanding. The towns would probably have hired more people to help if there had been extra money.

"Anyway," said Wayne, interrupting Holly's train of thought, "I was actually on my way to visit Ford."

"Ford?" Holly questioned; her curiosity immediately piqued. She didn't recognize that name, and she thought she had met everyone in town."

"He's the local doctor, and he just returned from a medical conference in the city."

"Oh…" breathed Holly, immediately impressed.

"He's a bit of a hard shell to crack," admitted the postman with an amused grin, "but he's a good, caring guy at heart. But if you're going to meet him…"

Wayne suddenly frowned, and Holly got a little nervous. He started circling her and muttering to himself. Suddenly, he was up in her space with a distractedly muttered "apologies, Miss" as he dusted off her hat and pulled some more leaves that she had missed from her braids.

Holly blushed at the proximity, but she was too startled to move. She stood completely still until Wayne seemed satisfied.

The postman stood back with one fist under his chin, his right foot tapping the ground lightly. "I think that will do," he muttered mostly to himself. Seeing Holly's confused and embarrassed face, he quickly apologized properly and explained himself. "Ford is a bit of a neat-freak, you see? I just wanted to help you make the best impression possible."

"Ah," replied Holly, not sure how she felt about the situation. She docilely followed Wayne up the hill, however, listening to him list out all of Ford's better qualities.

-.-.-

Wayne opened the door to the clinic widely and bowed with a dashing smile to usher Holly in. She gave an amused smile before stepping into the office. In contrast to the warm, rustic feeling of the rest of Westown's buildings, the inside of the clinic looked very familiar to Holly. It was overwhelming white with harsh fluorescent lights and the slight scent of antiseptic everywhere.

"Ford? You in?" called out Wayne hopefully.

"Wayne? Is that you?" a mysterious voice called out from behind a partition. Holly could not tell if the voice was pleased or annoyed. "I am in the middle of brainstorming right now, and I am NOT to be disturbed unless there is a patient that requires my IMMEDIATE attention."

The emphasized words were not lost on either visiting party.

"_Annoyed then_," thought Holly. She started to take a step back toward the door when Wayne's hand against her back stopped her. He gave her a slight smile and a knowing look. They waited like that for about a minute before the voice was heard again.

"You're still there, aren't you?"

"Yup."

A long, ever-suffering sigh was heard followed by, "Fine. Wait quietly over there, and I will get to you later."

"Tha~nk you~," called back Wayne in an overly sweet voice. Holly wasn't sure what "over there" meant, but Wayne ushered her over to some benches that seemed to serve as the doctor's waiting area.

Holly was very nervous. Doctor's offices were not her favorite place to be, and the voice behind the curtain seemed less than pleased to have company. She sat stalk straight on the slightly uncomfortable bench, clenching and unclenching her skirt unconsciously.

"So, Holly," began Wayne, noticing her nervous disposition, "how has your first week on the farm been treating you?"

"Oh, uh… It's been alright. I've cleared a lot of the debris and planted a few rows of crops. It's not much, but it's a start."

"I'm sure you'll have the place in good order soon enough," Wayne said with a confident nod of his head. He leaned back against the wall, clearly more at ease in the waiting room than she was. "I don't know if you've heard, but Lisette, Carrie, Brad, and I used to play on that old farm when we were young'uns."

"Ah, yes, Lisette told me about that. She said it had many good hiding spots."

"That it did," replied Wayne with a mysterious twinkle in his eye. "I could tell you many a story about our adventures there, but to avoid casting any bad light on any of your recent acquaintances, I'll hold my tongue." The glint in his eye was matched with a wickedly handsome smile.

"What do you mean?" asked Holly, not really sure what he was implying.

"Oh, nothing much. Just a couple of lovers sharing their first kiss while hiding from a certain flower shop owner…"

"Oh!" Holly replied, immediately picturing Carrie and Brad.

"Yup," confirmed Wayne, slouching a bit more. "Those two love birds thought they were so subtle. Everyone could see they only had eyes for each other though. Ever since they met. It was love at first sight."

"Aww…" replied Holly. "That's so sweet!" Carrie and Brad were definitely a good match based on her first impressions of them.

"They finally tied the knot a couple years ago when his ole Pa decided it was time to retire. Brad proposed immediately, and the two got married and took over the restaurant."

"Wow! That's quite the story!" Holly replied with a bit of a laugh. She wasn't normally so much of a gossip, but it was comforting to know that true love was real even if she hadn't experienced it herself yet.

"Alright, if you can't keep it down, I'll just have to come out and deal with you first," the mysterious man said again in a stern voice.

Holly immediately snapped her mouth shut with an audible click, and Wayne sighed to himself.

From behind a wooden partition came a young man in a stylized doctor's coat. He had almost platinum blonde hair and cold, blue-grey eyes. Those eyes peered at the postman and the newcomer from behind a pair of smart round-framed glasses.

Wayne stood up to greet his friend with a hearty handshake and a smile, although Holly thought he looked a little too intense to be truly friendly.

"Glad to have you back, Ford. Hope the conference was a success. This is Holly, by the way. She's the new farmer. Frank's niece." Wayne gently grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the slightly confused and concerned looking doctor, who kept shooting glances between Holly and the postman.

Holly, for lack of anything else to do, bowed politely to the doctor and introduced herself.

"Hm," considered the doctor for a minute, "well, isn't that a proper greeting… My name is Ford, and I am the doctor in this establishment."

Holly wasn't sure if he meant his first comment as a compliment or an insult, so she kept quiet and let Wayne do the talking. He seemed to be more agitated than normal, almost overly friendly to the point where it felt forced. Holly didn't know what to make of it.

"Holly and I came up here to see you, and that's the best you got?"

Holly could swear there was a slight vein throbbing on the side of Wayne's temple.

"Well, she looks like a perfectly healthy young woman to me, so I can only assume this is a social call and that she is not in need of my services."

Holly looked slightly stricken, and Wayne swore under his breath. "Really, Ford…"

But Ford ignored him and looked closely at the newcomer anyway. "Passable, but to be clear, I do not take well to slobs or ragamuffins. If you plan to visit here, you should be clean and properly attired. Now is that all?"

Holly nodded mutely, apologized for intruding, and slipped out the door before Wayne could get a word in edgewise. Annoyed, he elbowed his companion in the ribs.

"Hey! What was that for?" the doctor exclaimed crossly.

"Do you need new glasses? Did you not see the cute girl standing here hoping to meet you?"

"I saw a girl in slightly dirty work clothes standing in my otherwise clean office."

Wayne sighed and sat down on the couch again, already weary from this conversation.

"Shouldn't you go after her or something," replied Ford with a wave of his hand in the general direction of the door. "Don't you have a damsel in distress to save?"

"_I_ didn't upset her," replied Wayne with a pointed look at his friend. "You were too harsh. Let's just hope Holly doesn't put too much stock in first impressions."

"What do you mean 'Let's just hope?'"

Wayne could feel a headache already forming in the front of his head. "That was Frank's niece," he repeated slowly.

Ford nodded, clearly annoyed. "Yes, yes. Both my eyes and ears are in perfect working order, thank you very much."

"A potential client," continued Wayne, "and the new owner of the farm by the crossroads."

Ford froze a moment, the words sinking in slowly. "She looked rather… young," he said, an odd feeling forming in his stomach.

"Old enough to run a farm," Wayne sagely replied, looking at his fingernails with great interest. He internally smiled as Ford belatedly realized he was trying to set him up.

"Oh," was Ford's monosyllabic reply. He seemed to consider the previous interaction for a moment. "It seems I've made an ass of myself."

"You think?" Wayne stood up again and patted Ford on the shoulder. "Maybe she'll give you another chance. She's a sweet girl."

Ford didn't reply as Wayne said his goodbyes and left the clinic.

-.-.-

Wayne was surprised when he came down the hill from the clinic to see Holly standing in front of Animal Instincts. She was looking longingly at the cows tethered to the cart.

"Sorry about that, Holly. I should've known he would be in a mood after having his schedule disrupted so much by the conference."

"Ah, it's ok," replied Holly coolly, although Wayne could see she was a bit put out by the exchange.

"I'm sure he'll be on his best behavior next time," continued the postman, looking at Holly out of the corner of his eye.

Holly's golden blonde pigtails bobbed with her head. It was a noncommittal reply, but Wayne would take what he could get. He decided to change tactics.

"Thinking of getting a cow for your farm?" he asked.

"Yeah," replied Holly, immediately seeming to relax now that the topic had changed. I need to clean up one of the old buildings first, but I should be able to do that and afford one soon enough."

"You're making a lot of progress quickly. Just be careful not to overdo it."

Holly nodded but kept her eyes trained on one of the smaller cows a little bit away from the others. It was a cute black and white one with a tuft of black hair and a red collar. "I won't," she agreed, "but I'm gonna do my best."

"I don't doubt it," Wayne said with a hint of admiration. New as she was, Holly was already growing on him in a little sister sorta way. She was a little innocent but incredibly enthusiastic, and that energy was infectious. "You're already the talk of the town."

"Eh! Really?" Holly exclaimed, looking at him to gauge if he was telling the truth.

"Oh, yeah," replied the postman smoothly, petting a nearby cow absentmindedly. "Everyone at the restaurant has been a'singin' your praises since you arrived. Of course, Frank is pleased to have his own relative continuing the family tradition, but Lisette and Miranda have also been generous in their praise of your work ethic. I may have added a few things myself," he finished with a charming smile.

Holly blushed at the compliments, although she knew he was only teasing her.

"Well, even though I'm a bit nervous about it, at least it seems to be good gossip," she admitted quietly.

"The best," the postman assured her. Looking up at the sky, he patted his bag and stood up straight. "Well, I best get these last few letters delivered before nightfall. And you should get back to the farm unless you wanna be traveling those paths in the dark."

Holly nodded and smiled at her friend. "Thanks, Wayne. I'll catch you later."

"Back at you."

And with that, Holly made her way back to the farm. While she was unsure what to make of her interaction with the doctor, at least everyone else in town seemed to like her. That made her feel warm inside, and she skipped back the rest of the way.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch.6: To the Beach

"Holly, you in? Pardon me."

Holly had just finished getting washed up and dressed when she heard the distinct boom of her uncle's voice outside her front door.

"Coming!"

Holly opened the door expecting to be greeted by her uncle, but next to him stood a small, brightly clad old woman. The two entered Holly's humble abode, smiling as they did so.

"I brought someone who wants to meet ya."

"Aloha," said the friendly-looking old woman. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Holly. My name is Tototara."

Holly's smile faltered as she gave the strange word a try.

"Oh, right," Tototara continued. "'Aloha' is our town's word for 'hello.'"

"Remember when I said the gates to the other two towns were bein' repaired?" Frank interjected. "Well, one of them just finished up yesterday."

Tototara nodded. "I'm the town elder in Lulukoko. Since the road to our village is now open, I thought I'd give you a tour. Interested?"

A new town. More things to see and do?

"Definitely!" Holly said with a smile, excited for what the day had in store.

"Ho ho ho! Aren't you the enthusiastic one! Well then, why wait? Let's be on our way." Tototara led the group to the clearing that connected Nampara to the three villages. Tototara pointed to the newly erected arches on Holly's right. "Here we are. That's the entrance to Lulukoko."

"And that's my cue to get back to work," Frank said, tipping his hat towards Holly and Tototara. "You ladies have a good day." They waved at him as he made his way back to Westown, the jaunty tune he whistled slowly fading on the breeze.

"Well, shall we?" Tototara led the way, and Holly followed close behind, equal parts excited about what lay ahead and scared about getting lost in a new town. The path they followed snaked down a hill and was lined with increasingly tropical looking plants. After about half an hour of walking, the path opened up onto a wide shore.

The sun was shining brightly, and the white sand beach glistened and sparkled beneath it. The warmth felt good on Holly's skin, and she wondered when she would have a chance to take a dip in the inviting waters.

Tototara was already a few steps ahead of her, pointing out the bountiful nature around them. "Blue seas and white beaches," she commented, taking a moment to appreciate it herself. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Holly nodded, entranced by the bright colors and the liveliness of the shops she could see further along the road.

"As you can see," Tototara continued, "Lulukoko is an oceanside village. Warm and full of flowers all year round, it's a tiny slice of paradise. This is one of the most popular spots in the village, in fact. Aren't the breeze and the sound of the waves soothing?"

Tototara guided Holly a little farther along, moving toward the shops she noticed only a moment earlier. "Here is also where most of the village shops are located," she said, motioning to the stalls in front of them.

-.-.-.-

Ludus stood outside of his shop, Jack of All Trades, and leaned lazily against one of the walls. Nana had told him to be up early to meet the new farmer, but she was certainly taking her time escorting him!

_I gotta get to work on Tsuyakusa's arches… The path between Tsuyakusa and Westown still needs clearing…_

Ludus was considering his currently unfinished orders when he heard his Nana's voice, rousing him from his thoughts. He could recognize his grandmother from a mile away with her distinctive purple gown and matching hat. However, he was shocked to find he recognized the person accompanying her.

_The girl from the clearing!_

Ludus quickly turned around and began fiddling with some of the strings holding the shop's covering up. He wasn't quite sure why he was so flustered, but he needed to get it under control.

_Think. Think. Think!_

But that was exactly the problem. He couldn't. His mind raced, and his heartrate sped up along with it. He barely managed a semi-calm exterior when he heard he grandmother's voice.

"Ludus! Ludus, over here!"

Taking a deep breath, he strolled purposely slow over to where his grandmother and the young stranger were waiting. Playing it cool, he avoided the gaze of the girl. "Hi, Nana. Is this the new farmer I've been hearing about?" He could feel her eyes on him.

"Ho, ho. Yes, indeed," said Tototara, giving her grandson an annoyingly knowing look. "Ludus, meet Holly."

"Aloha. I'm Ludus," he said, extending his arm to fist bump Holly. "I'm the village handyman. If you ever need any work done, let me know. I can do a bunch of things." He crossed his arms and smiled, hoping this pose showed off his muscles a little. Much to his chagrin, Holly seemed oblivious.

"Such as…?"

"Oh, uh…" he faltered slightly, "If you have time tomorrow, I can tell you more about my services- er, I mean, my shop's services."

"That would be great," Holly said, smiling brightly. "I'll be ready."

"Great. It's a promise, then. I'll come by your farm tomorrow morning."

Holly smiled at Ludus, and Ludus smiled at Holly. Ludus wanted to say or do something to prolong the conversation, but nothing came to mind and the whole situation was becoming more awkward by the second. Thankfully, Tototara stepped in.

"And that's the tour of our village. You're free to visit us whenever you like. Would you like an escort back to your farm now? I could send Ludus if you're not sure how to get back."

Ludus' heart jumped into his throat. _Nana, you scheming-!_

"Oh, I think I'll be alright. Thank you, though. I would hate to take up any more of your time." Holly bowed, said her goodbyes, and ran off in the direction they had just come from.

Ludus let out the breath he had been holding, and Tototara gave him another of her looks.

"What!?" he asked, both annoyed and flustered.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," Nana replied, clearly meaning something.

Ludus muttered something under his breath and headed back toward his shop to open up, but not before letting his eyes follow the retreating back of the new farmer.

_Holly, hm?_

-.-.-.-

Walking back toward the beach, Holly noticed a building on a sort of pier jutting out into the calm waters. The sign read "Carosello Seaside Café."

"_That sounds nice_," Holly thought to herself as her stomach rumbled slightly. Her breakfasts – and most meals really – had been limited to potato bread, boiled eggs (gifted from her uncle), and whatever raw radishes looked too beat up to sell.

She walked up the ramp to an amusing scene. Two young women, clearly twins, were staring intensely at a rotting squid laying on one of the tables.

The twin in pink seemed very irate, bad-mouthing whoever had the bird-sized brain to leave their trash in the middle of a restaurant. The twin in blue seemed calmer, almost disconnected from the situation. Holly wasn't sure if she should get involved, but when it seemed like they were going to fight, the farmer quickly stepped in, grabbed the slimly sea creature, and tossed it unceremoniously over the rail and into the sea. The twins, having not noticed her presence before, simply stared at her for a moment.

Holly, unnerved but trying to keep her composure, smiled the most convincing smile she could muster and bowed politely.

"My name is Holly. I'm the new farmer from Nampara Farm at the crossroads. It's nice to meet you."

The twin in blue still seemed to be in a daze, but the twin in pink crossed her arms and gave a haughty smile. "Well, well, well. You are quite the woman of action. Your aura is a nice light pink. I think we'll get along swimmingly."

"I like her," said the twin in blue with a gentle smile.

The one in pink nodded her head. "I'm Iluka, and this is my twin sister Siluka," she said, motioned to the young woman in blue behind her.

Siluka half curtsied and said, "Pleased to meet you."

Holly smiled genuinely. These girls were about her age. They may be a bit strange, but she had a good feeling about them.

"Well," continued Iluka, "now that _that_ problem has been taken care of, how about we treat our new friend to something sweet?"

"Oh, I agree," replied Siluka enthusiastically, already slipping behind the counter.

"Oh! You don't have to. Really! I was just trying to help."

"And now we are helping you," replied Siluka with a strange glint in her eye as Iluka passed her an ice cream scoop. "Don't think we don't know a hungry farmer when we see… or hear one."

Holly was about to protest when her stomach betrayed her with a loud grumble. She shrugged her shoulders helplessly and put her hands up in mock defeat. "You caught me."

The twins nodded in unison and finished preparing the treat. Siluka placed it before her with a smile. "Please enjoy it."

"Thanks!" replied Holly as she dug in. As the twins cleaned up and chatted behind her, Holly ate her ice cream and looked out over the bright blue sea. She was really going to enjoy spending time in this town too it seemed.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch.7

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Holly? You up?"

Holly had in fact just gotten dressed for the day, but "up" may have been pushing it. She rubbed the sleep from her bleary eyes and stumbled to the front door. Unlocking it carefully, she was surprised to see Ludus standing on the other side.

"Sorry to bug you so early," Ludus replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I gotta open the shop soon, ya see."

"Of course," replied Holly, smiling good naturedly as she stepped out of the house. "I'm sorry you had to come all the way down here to show me so early."

"It's no trouble, really," replied the handyman easily, leading her toward her well and shipping bins. "I'm an early-riser anyway. I guessed you would be too."

"Some days are easier than others," admitted the new farmer with an embarrassed grin.

"Well, I know you've got to be busy too, so mahalo for making time."

Holly smiled and nodded. Although it was true she had agreed to have Ludus come over to explain some things, she did not actually know what those _things_ were.

Ludus, oblivious to her confusion, carried on. "Anyway, today I'm going to explain Farm Circles and upgrades to you, ok? To build a Farm Circle or make an upgrade, you'll need the correct materials and the right amount of money. You can stop by my shop and check out the catalog to see what each requires. Once you've gathered the materials and saved up the money, just visit my shop. Some things I can build at my shop, but other things will require me to come here."

"I see," Holly replied, listening intently. She took a peek behind her before turning back to Ludus. "Can you upgrade houses too? I don't have a kitchen or even a closet right now…"

Ludus looked at the house and then down at the ground, almost like he was ashamed. "I'm sorry, Holly. When Frank came to see me, I had no idea who was going to be living here… Not having a kitchen or a closet must be a huge inconvenience. I did the best I could, but then the earthquake hit and there were more important things-."

"You did a fine job, really," Holly assured him quickly. "It's more than I needed in the beginning. But since this is going to be my home from now on, I thought it wise to invest in some upgrades."

Ludus gave the girl an appraising look. While she was definitely trying not to make him feel bad about the shack she was currently living in, she was also sincere in her appreciation and desires for the future. It was refreshing to meet someone so honest and dedicated.

Holly watched curiously as Ludus's face shifted from an embarrassed scowl to a determined if grim expression.

"We should renovate the house as quickly as possible. Especially since it tends to get rather wet and rainy in the late spring and early summer. Just this once I'll give you a special discount on it. Just bring me the materials and I'll take care of the renovation for free."

"What!? There is no way I could allow you to do that!"

Ludus threw his head back and laughed. "Don't worry about it. It's a good business practice to keep customers coming back for more," he replied with a wink.

Holly blushed and rubbed her arm uncomfortable. "But still…"

"Seriously," continued Ludus, "it's no problem. I'm partially responsible for this anyway. Consider it an apology and a welcome gift, ok?"

Holly didn't look convinced but nodded her head with a slight smile. "That's very kind of you. Thank you."

"I think that just about covers everything. When you have gathered the materials for the house upgrade, come and get me. See ya later, Holly!"

"Bye, Ludus," Holly replied, waving after the blue-haired handyman until he disappeared up the path to the Crossroads.

It was hard to believe how kind and generous people were here. They were nothing like the city-dwellers she had grown up around. She only hoped her farm would be profitable enough to boost the economy and earn her keep and her neighbor's generosity.

"Well, I guess that means I should get to work."

-.-.-

"Howdy, Holly," a cheerful voice greeted the farmer as she walked into Westown proper.

"Hi, Wayne," Holly replied with a grin. He bowed formally, and Holly gave an equally solemn curtsey. Then the pair broke out into laughter.

"What brings you into town this early, farmer girl?" the postman asked politely. His satchel was brimming with letters for the other towns, but he could spare a few minutes to talk to his new friend.

Holly had now been working on her farm for almost a month. Spring was in full swing, and the weather was getting warmer each day. With the her first few plots of cultivated land well on their way to producing a fruitful harvest, the new farmer was now looking to expand the operation. But that would require a little extra money.

"I'm actually going to visit Cortes too see if there are any part-time jobs available today."

"Well, aren't you a busy bee? I better let you get to it!" replied Wayne with a good-natured wink. He tipped his cowboy hat and whistled a cheerful tune as he began to make his way along the unsafe road between Westown and what Frank had told her was a village called Tsuyakusa.

Holly had been worried about these paths. She knew Wayne traveled them often, and when she went to visit Ludus at the Jack-of-All-Trade's shop last week to make some extra field plots, he had let it slip that he was the one doing most of the clearing. She wished there was something she could do to help but taking care of her farm really took up most of her mental and physical energy. Only in the last few days had she felt energetic enough to go into town and do tasks for the other villagers.

Remembering that this was her whole purpose of being in town in the first place, Holly quickly made her way to where Cortes was always standing.

"Good afternoon, Holly," Cortes said with a kind smile. "Are you here to see about the part-time jobs?"

"Yup," smiled Holly, hoping there wasn't anything too difficult to do today.

"Hm…" mumbled the recruiter under his breath as he looked at his old, worn clipboard. "Looks like Megan needs someone to do some weeding, and Ford has asked for help cutting wood."

"Ah…" replied Holly with no small amount of trepidation. She had been trying to avoid Ford after their awkward first meeting. She had seen him in passing and always politely said hello, but he never did anything more than nod his head tersely in reply. However, a job was a job. "I'll do them both. I'll take care of the wood first and then clean up Megan's field on the way back to my farm."

"Very well then," replied Cortes, marking those chores off of his list. "Don't forget them now."

"I won't," reassured Holly. She quickly thanked him and made her way up to the second level of Westown where Ford's clinic stood. Taking a deep, calming breath, she opened the door. A little bell chimed to announce her entrance.

"How may I-" Ford started, then stopped when he saw who had entered. He was coming from behind the partition that separated his study space from where he saw patients. He quickly cleared his throat and attempted a polite greeting.

"Oh, Holly, how nice of you to drop by. Did you need something?"

If Holly looked uncomfortable in his waiting room before, she certainly looked anxious now. Ford mentally cursed himself. He wasn't a rude person by nature, but he also had a lot of trouble connecting with others as well. His introduction to Holly had not been one of his finer moments. As if to make matters worse, she only seemed to see him when he was busy or lost in thought over some research he was conducting. Trying to be polite now was only confusing the poor girl.

"Um… Cortes said you needed someone to cut some wood."

Ford frowned. This certainly wasn't what he expected. Normally some of the farmers from the outskirts of town would take care of the part-time jobs. But if Holly had agreed to the job, he could not argue. Perhaps he could see for himself all the good points Wayne had made of point of telling him about.

"Ah, that," the doctor replied, trying to regain some composure. "There are some logs to the side of my clinic that I bought recently. I need them cut into smaller pieces to use in my fireplace. If it's not too much trouble…"

"Of course," replied Holly, thankful that with her instructions she could scoot on out of the clinic. "I'll pop back in to let you know when I'm done."

Before Ford had a chance to reply, the young farmer was already out the door. He could see her gathering the wood from one of the side windows and trekking up the hill with it to the wood-cutting area. It would no doubt take her a few trips. The doctor was tempted to watch her but forced himself to sit at his desk and try to work.

Wayne had certainly been right about one thing: There was more to this new farmer than met the eye.

-.-.-

About a half hour later, the bell chimed again, and Ford stood to see who entered. He had expected a customer, but instead he was greeted by the image of the flush-faced farmer.

"I've finished," she said, looking to the side nervously. "Did you want to inspect the work?"

She didn't give him a chance to decline, instead stepping out the door and around to his wood storage shed. Ford followed and was met with a tidy stack of chopped wood placed neatly under its covering. The ground had even been swept.

Ford found himself incredibly impressed. He looked at the girl beside him who was purposely avoiding his gaze. Her cheeks were pink, and she was breathing hard; all was clear evidence of the speed and effort she had put into this task. However, her eyes were bright, and she stood up straight, clearly confident in her own work.

"Impressive," came the unexpected response.

Holly's bright, ocean blue eyes turned to meet with the doctor's cool blue-grey orbs. She looked like she was going to disagree, whether out of modesty or unease at his presence he wasn't sure, but Ford cut her off.

"Really, this looks great," he replied with a small but genuine smile. He was even more pleased when Holly seemed to relax and return his grin.

"Thank you," replied the farmer, happy that she now seemed to be on the doctor's good side.

"No, no. Thank you," replied Ford, reaching into his lab coat's pocket. "Here. This is what I owe you."

"Isn't this a bit much?" asked Holly, a little confused at how much she had received.

"Not at all," assured the doctor, already heading back to the clinic. "You went above and beyond what was asked of you. I hope you will be willing to help me out again."

Holly nodded enthusiastically. "I will. Thanks!" she replied, skipping down the hill and making her way to Megan's farm. It was getting later in the afternoon now, but if she hurried, she might have time to paint one side of the old barn before it got dark.

-.-.-

Holly sighed and looked out the window. She had woken up slightly earlier than usual because the sound of a heavy rain hitting the old tin roof was too loud to allow her more sleep. While she was thankful that there were not too many leaks in the old roof, she didn't want to be cooped up all day either.

She had taken one brief trip outside to collect any viable produce for shipping and another to clean up the inside of the barn. She had painted and fixed the window of the old barn just a couple days ago, but she hadn't had enough energy to get the trough upright or spread out the hay she had purchased. However, with no plants to water and no desire to get wet chopping down trees, she was finally able to check those items off of her to-do list.

So, Holly was thankful for the change in the weather, but now that all that was out of the way, she would have to figure out how to fill up the rest of the day.

"_I have enough money to get a cow, I think. And when my potatoes finish growing, I'll be able to ask Ludus about upgrading this… 'house.'"_

Holly considered her options for a few more minutes, but the constant patter of rain on the roof was driving her crazy. It was almost lunchtime. Perhaps she would have lunch at the restaurant in Westown as a treat.

-.-.-

Holly entered the restaurant in the middle of a standoff.

"If you're not hopeless when it comes to love, then who the heck is!?" Brad declared passionately.

Holly, now slightly regretting her decision to come, made to leave the building when Brad caught sight of her.

"Oh, Holly. Nice timing!" Brad greeted with a friendly smile. He waved Holly over, and despite her better judgement, she answered his beckoning call. Brad was behind the counter, while Ford and Wayne were sitting on barstools in front of him, clearly enjoying a snack and some drinks.

"Nice timing?" Holly echoed, a little trepidation apparent in her voice.

"We were just talking about how Ford is a rare breed of thickheaded man," Wayne explained with a mischievous grin.

"Huh?" Holly replied, not sure how to respond.

Wayne looked at Holly with mock seriousness. "You must've noticed too, right, right?"

Holly frowned and took half a step-back. Her instincts were telling her that she _really_ didn't want to get involved in this conversation.

"Wayne," Ford cautioned sharply, "could you please refrain from spouting such nonsense in front of Holly? I am in no way 'thickheaded.' After all, someone who can't understand a person's heart is incapable of being a doctor."

Brad almost choked on his mirth. "Oh, yeah? Mind telling us about what happened one more time, then? About that girl who has been going to your clinic a _whole_ lot recently…"

The emphasis was not lost on Wayne who smiled at Brad's sideways glance. The postman looked over at Holly and gave her a secret wink as Ford sighed into his palm, ever suffering.

"Hmph. As I said before, nothing all that noteworthy happened, but she has been coming to the clinic for a while due to an injury. Just the other day, her treatment finally finished. But when I told her she wouldn't have to come in anymore, she immediately rejected the idea. Then she started saying weird things like, 'But I want to stay by your side, Dr. Ford.'"

The new farmer's eyebrows shot up in shock. Wayne and Brad both looked like they were at their bursting points.

Holly smiled but tried to remain neutral. "It seems your patient has a bit of a crush on you, Dr. Ford."

Wayne nodded his head in agreement, crossing his arms sagely across his chest. "Exactly, Holly. At least you have the right of it." With a piercing stare he turned back to Ford and said, "And? Go on. What was it you said to her again?"

Ford, to his credit, appeared to be recognizing the error of his ways. He sighed loudly and continued, "… I merely told her that since her wounds had healed, there was no reason for her to come back… and that I didn't understand why she'd come if there was no point. After all," Ford said, gaining a little confidence, "having someone perfectly healthy hanging around the clinic would just be a nuisance. Of course, she said she understood, but then for some reason she burst into tears as soon as she left the clinic."

Holly gasped softly as Brad and Wayne both looked like they wanted to bash their heads against the counter.

Brad was the first to recover. "Oh, is that all? Geez, you're such a…" he took a deep, calming breath. "How exactly do _you_ see the situation, then?"

"As far as I can tell, as that young lady underwent treatment, she probably grew and interest in the medical arts. I think it's wonderful that she wants to soak in as much knowledge from me as possible, but a clinic is a place for treating illnesses and wounds. It's not the sort of place that a healthy person should swing by just to chat."

Wayne heaved a large sigh and lifted his eyes skyward. "Sheesh. No matter how many times I hear the story, it still blows me away… that poor girl…"

"I hate to say it, Doc," Brad said with a sad shake of his head, "but I don't think you're ever gonna land yourself a girlfriend at this rate."

Ford, suddenly becoming a bit irritable and defensive, stood up and leaned against the counter. "Nobody asked for your opinion, you know." He sat back down in an attempt to compose himself. "Saving those in pain from the illnesses is my reason for living. I have no time for other such trivialities."

The postman, the chef, and the farmer looked at each other uncomfortably.

"I mean, I get what you're saying," said Brad diplomatically, "but… well, what about you Holly? What do you make of all of this? Do you think Ford's reaction was too cold?"

Holly, suddenly put on the spot, looked between the three men with a mixture of fear and discomfort. "Um… I guess it was a logical response… for a doctor…" the farmer said slowly.

"What!? Are you being serious?" Brad exploded in righteous fury.

Holly took a step back, not sure how to respond.

"I'm glad you see things my way, Holly," the doctor replied with a satisfied smile. "If it wasn't for you, these _people_ would have unfairly labeled me as a boneheaded man."

Holly could only smile back weakly. It wasn't that she was agreeing with him, but given what she knew about the doctor's personality, this was the unfortunately logical conclusion.

"And with that," replied Ford with a smug grin, "I must get going to my next appointment. Au revoir."

As the remaining three watched Ford practically waltz out of the restaurant, Brad started to clean up the doctor's dishes.

"Holly?" he questioned somewhere between a patronizing and genuine tone, "could it be that you're actually just as dense as Ford?"

Wayne shook his head, saving Holly from having to think of a response. "I think Holly was just trying to sympathize with Ford, isn't that right?"

Holly nodded enthusiastically, glad that someone understood her feelings.

"Ah, I gotcha. So that's what it was…" Brad let out a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness. We only need one bonehead when it comes to romance around here…"

The group chuckled, and Holly took Ford's vacated seat at the bar, ordering an omelet from the chef. As he broke the eggs and stirred the mixture, Brad got a thoughtful look on his face.

"Ya'know," he said, "he kept going on and on about how he wasn't a bonehead, but methinks the good doctor doth protest too much."

Wayne giggled a bit and sent a sideways wink to Holly. "He's so dense that it's actually kinda refreshing. I guess you could say it's part of his charm."

The group laughed and continued to chat about other things until Holly's meal was served. Then, Wayne excused himself to finish his deliveries while Brad went into the back to prepare for the dinner rush.

Holly thought over the interaction with an amused smile on her face. She was glad the residents of Westown were friendly and open with her. It was nice to be included in these little events, even if they were a bit awkward. She wondered what other adventures would await as she became more and more familiar with the town and its residents.


End file.
